The Epitome of Fate
by The last blue Rose
Summary: Fate: The one thing truly binding. Men and women spend their lives either trying to defy it or embrace it. But the question is: Can one really change their Fate, or is it Fate to try?
1. The begining,Fate's Intervention

**A/N: This is my first fic so feel free to burn and flame me ^.^….not like it would really matter though as this is my story not yours, but don't let that stop you from giving me suggestions as I am definitely not the best writer in the world but I do have ideas…..many, many, **_**many**_** ideas……**

**Anyway this fic is to be an epic crossover, I mean epic, I expect this fic to hit about the 500k+ area ^.^ ; to name a few crossovers DBZ, BLEACH, GUNDAM WING, and TRIGUN. Believe me when I say that's just a FEW of them I don't want to give away all my plans just yet but I'm hoping this goes well ^.^**

**And yes to those that may be wondering ….I am just that bored…**

Disclaimer: no matter how much I wish I did, I do not own Naruto, however I do own the few Oc's that will be in this fic.(even though I'm not making any money off them)

* * *

**_Konoha; Hokage's office_**

* * *

"Hokage-sama!" An ANBU half yelled in near panic as he appeared in a swirl of smoke and leaves.

"We can't hold the demon back for much longer, we've lost four squads of ANBU already and the beast is treating us as if we are flies!"

The man in question was sitting behind a large wooden desk that took up a good portion of the room, with a child that was only a few hours old in his arms sleeping soundly even as the panic stricken masked ANBU yelled. Without looking up from the baby in his arms the hokage made no movement for a few agonizingly slow seconds before nodding his head slowly as signal for the masked shinobi to return to his post.

Off to one side of the stood an ageing man well into his fifties wearing the similar red and white robes that the Hokage himself wore. His face, worn from years of experience, was grim with a slight scowl. His eyes never left the Hokage as the ANBU appeared, delivered his message, and disappeared in another swirl of smoke and leaves.

"Minato, please, let me do the sealing," pleaded the old man staring at his successor with eyes that has seen far more than any would want to see in a single life time. "The village still needs you, I'm to old to take up the mantle of Hokage again," He continued trying to convince the man behind the desk.

"No, you know you're too old and the seal wouldn't have the power necessary to last," Minato said, voice filled with the authority of being Hokage, looked up at the old man, his face calm and filled with determination before softening as a thought arose in his mind "You have the scrolls and letters?" he asked.

"Yes, but-" the old man began, only to be interrupted by Minato.

"Don't do this Sarutobi, " said Minato closing his eyes for a moment before opening them again "You know as well as I do that the seal was specifically designed for me to place, no one else not you, not Jiraiya, me. He would have given it to you if he designed it for you but he didn't,"

Sarutobi, for his part, knew perfectly well that he couldn't make the seal last like Minato could but that didn't stop him from wishing and hoping that he could.

"But you don't even know if it will work, or how long it will last! For all we know the seal is just another assassination attempt by Iwa or Cumo!" Sarutobi ranted as he tried to reason.

Minato sighed before cutting into the old man's rant "It _will _work and it _will_ last, that much was promised. While you may not trust him I do and you will just have to trust in my decision"

Minato was also promised one more thing but he didn't think it was important enough to bring to Sarutobi's attention. The old man in front of him just began to rant once more about who should do the sealing. Minato however just tuned him out and began staring at the child in his arms once more.

'_How will you ever forgive me...' _Minato thought as he stared at his son

Sarutobi finally realizing that Minato wasn't listening anymore and gave up on his rant and sighed.

"When do you want the scrolls and letters given to him..." his voice trailed off as his question hung in the air.

Swiveling his chair so he could look out the window across the horizon. It was mid day and the sky was clear but in the distance he could see the sky darkened as if the sun itself didn't dare cascade light upon the tailed beast closing in on the village.

After a few seconds that seemed like an eternity to the elderly man, Minato spoke "when ever you think he is old enough to know."

Sarutobi sighed once again and nodded not noticing the far-off look Minato suddenly got while he was staring off into the ever-darkening distance. After a few minutes Sarutobi started to wonder if there was something wrong when Minato smiled and spoke not looking away from the horizon.

"When Naruto finishes the academy make sure his team consists of the Hyuuga and the Nara," he said with a voice filled with pride.

A confused Sarutobi stood there with out the slightest idea what his successor was talking about and was about to voice this when Minato spoke up again answering his unspoken question.

"Don't worry about it too much, and just so you have a reason why I have already chosen his genin team," Minato began look away from the distance with a small tear that was barely perceptible in his eye and the smile still on his face. "I know I'm no oracle and I know this will sound crazy...but I think I just saw my son's wedding..." He said with his voice trailing off letting what he just said sink in.

Sarutobi was about to call on the few remaining ANBU when a wave of nostalgia hit him from his long forgotten past.

======FLASHBACK======

_Sarutobi stood tears streaming down his face in a hospital room staring at a scene that had come far too soon for his tastes. On the bed in front of him lay his dieing sensei the Nidaime Hokage, who was dieing from a poison, that he was injected with during the last battle, which was even beyond Tsunade whom had recently locked herself away in an office with hundreds of medical scrolls trying to figure out how to heal her granduncle._

_The deadline that the other doctors had given was drawing to a close and his sensei's life was fading before his eyes and He was about to leave the room when_ _he heard the strained voice of his mentor whisper out "Wait,"_

_He stopped in his tracks and turned to stare at his sensei that was struggling to for words._

"_Be careful Hiruzen_(1)_ . . ." The Nidaime grimaced out, as the constant waves pain grew " . . .of Orochimaru he is not as pure as you think of him and will turn against you when you least expect it..." he finished with another grimace._

"_How do you know this sensei?" asked Sarutobi truly curious as to why the Nidaime was warning him about his prized pupil._

_After a few heavily strained breaths the dieing man began to speak " . . .My father once told me a story that I didn't believe at the time because I thought it was impossible . . ." he took a ragged breath before continuing "after he told me what I now know to be true he gave me the explanation as to _why _it was true . . ." he took another breath " . . .he said 'There are times where a man, under certain circumstances is given a rare and priceless gift. A glimpse into the future, sometimes its as short as few minutes to days into the future and others its as far as decades . . ." he finished with a wheeze._

_After a momentary pause Sarutobi asked, "What did your father see?" _

_The Nidaime spoke after taking a long and ragged breath " he said he saw his, my bother's, and my deaths . . . and to date he has not been wrong . . ." his voice trailed off as his final breath was let go and he slipped into eternal slumber. Sarutobi stood there in complete shock as doctors filed into the room trying to anything and everything they could to bring him back, but in the end it was a futile effort._

======END FLASHBACK======

As it turned out right around the time Sarutobi declared Minato to be his successor it was discovered that Orochimaru had been performing experiments on missing villagers and shinobi alike. Soon after that Orochimaru fled the village and hadn't been seen since, but that was what worried the old Hokage more than anything

As it stood now Sarutobi no longer doubted Minato's word and instead chose to get some answers, "will he marry the Hyuuga?" he asked.

Minato's smile grew as he nodded

Sarutobi instantly began to get a headache, as he knew the kind of paper work the Hyuuga Clan Council would drag up in trying to defy the arrangement. And the only reason they would care is because there was only one Hyuuga pregnant at that point, the wife of Hiashi, who was going to bear the heir to the clan.

Rubbing his temples Sarutobi sighed and asked as Minato stood up and prepared to protect the village one last time, "have you thought of a name for him?"

Minato's smile disappeared as his face contorted into a look of thought, and a few minutes passed before he nodded and spoke a name that would eventually become more famous than his own, that would be remembered for hundreds of years to come.

"Naruto Uzumaki...(2)"

* * *

**_Konoha; Main Council chamber – Three days later_**

* * *

"WHAT?!" was the singular cry of most of the council. After spending days trying to avoid the council Sarutobi finally broke down and agreed on attending the meeting. He was currently under the influence of a headache the size of the Hokage monument and it showed no sign of letting up anytime soon as he had just moments ago explained "why". Why he, nor the Hokage could be found easily – the latter not being found at all. Why he and the Hokage were seen talking with a man that NO ONE had information on. Lastly why he brought a baby with him into the meeting – it wasn't everyday one of the most powerful men in the known world was seen holding children.

"What do you mean the Fourth's dead?" asked a civilian council member going slightly pale at the thought of the other nations taking advantage of the situation.

"Who will replace him?" Another civilian asked voicing the thought that was traveling through everyone's mind.

"That's simple," a man from the shinobi section of the chamber began with an audible sigh. "Since the fourth didn't actually write down the name of a successor and very few of the shinobi we have now are strong enough to be kage level, the best course of action would be for Sandaime-sama to take up the title of Hokage again," he finished with another sigh and a mumble of "troublesome".

Sarutobi immediately felt his already massive headache worsen as murmurs of agreement began to spread through the chamber. He really didn't want to be there at that point he already knew that the council wouldn't take the thought of Naruto being a container of the Kyubi no Yoko very well and that was an understatement. In truth he just wanted to be in a private place with a certain book that was recently completed by one of his students.

Sarutobi tuned out the councils rambling as his thoughts began to wander; he started to fanaticize, serving only to make him want to be elsewhere that much more when he was brought out of his musings by one of the elders.

"Will you, Hiruzen Sarutobi, take up the title of Hokage once more until such a time as to find an appropriate successor?"

Sarutobi sighed heavily and nodded not wanting to say anything just yet as more murmurs sprang forth as it was finalized that he would be Hokage again. Several minutes passed and a voice cut through the entire chamber causing all conversation to abruptly halt. The voice asked the one question he knew was going to give him an even bigger headache then he already had.

"Hokage-sama, why did you bring a newborn into the meeting?" said a man whose pale white eyes seemed like they could pierce souls.

The old Hokage sighed yet again and prepared himself for the inevitable outburst that was sure to follow his answer. "Because," he began "this child is the Jinchuriki of the Kyubi no Yoko, Naruto Uzumaki."

The effect was instantaneous as cries of "What!", "You brought the Demon here!?" and "Kill it!!!" echoed throughout the chamber from most of the council. Sarutobi again felt his headache worsen as the outcries from the majority of the council demanding Naruto's death continued for several minutes until he had finally had enough.

"**That is ENOUGH!!!"** Roared Sarutobi, immediately stopping all of the council members in mid sentence. He paused to make sure he had the full attention of the entire council before continuing.

"Naruto is _**NOT **_the demon, he is the container! The jailor of the Kyubi and as such should be seen as the hero the Yondaime made him to be!" he finished his face slightly red showing his degree of anger.

The one person who had not spoken the entire meeting, a man with most of the right side of his wrinkled and scared face bandaged, finally spoke up seeing a prime opportunity arise for him to worm his way into a better position.

"Hokage-sama," the man began calmly "what is to be done with the boy? Surely the child's parents would still be here regardless of wanting the child or not." He finished with a calculating look in his visible eye that barely went unnoticed by the old Hokage.

" I was thinking about having the boy live with me, Danzo, until he is old enough to be on his own" the Sandaime stated. Again more yells assaulted the chamber as most of the council began to forbid him from doing any such thing. Yet again Sarutobi sighed and closed his eyes.

It was then that it happened. All sound stopped. There was no echo; he could not even hear the sound of his own breathing. Glancing up at the council Sarutobi froze in shock.

Sarutobi liked to believe he had seen everything in his long life but never had he witnessed anything like this. The council looked to be in the middle of ranting – as most of them looked to be in the middle of speech… but none of the where moving like the were all _Frozen _just not in ice. The council in all its glory looked comical in way, they were standing or in the process of standing and each and every one of them had their mouths open in the middle of a word. Sarutobi would have been laughing if the scene weren't entirely impossible. And it unnerved him greatly that they were unmoving and he was. While he was staring at he council he felt the newborn baby in his arms shift slightly and looked down at him and noticed that the child was still moving like he was. It was then that he heard the voice.

"Cute isn't he?" said an ethereal masculine voice that seemed to grow from nothing, echo hundreds of times, and disappear all at once. Startled Sarutobi jerked his head up to look in the direction of the voice.

Standing there ten feet way old hokage saw a man that appeared to be in his early twenties. He had long pitch black hair that hung down to his mid back his face seemed almost perfect with his pale skin, held silver eyes that had flecks of red, green, and blue that danced around the edges of his golden pupil like a kaleidoscope. He had a shinobi build but was decidedly frail looking. His white shirt looked like it was made of metal intricately woven into chain mail that was almost like fabric(2), but it was not reflective like most metals were in fact it almost seemed to draw in the light around it. It looked oddly weak but the old hokage knew that it was probably stronger then the very walls of Konoha. On his right bicep was a white cloth headband with a black plate that had a white kanji engraved on it. His pants were the design of ANBU but were made the same as the shirt. He wore what appeared to be black leather combat boots that laced up to his knees. But the most interesting fact was that he held in his arms a baby that looked exactly like Naruto…

Looking down at the child in his arms Sarutobi discovered that the baby was now gone. It took his mind a few seconds for him to realize that the man really did hold Naruto!

Looking up Sarutobi spoke as calmly as he could and found that he heard no voice come from his lips but it still felt as if he were speaking normally "when did y-" Sarutobi began but was cut off by the strange man in front of him.

"Take Naruto?" the man finished for him in the same ethereal voice that commanded full attention with out trying.

The old Hokage could only nod knowing full well who this man was. He was the man that had designed the very seal that took Minato's life the very man that could have not destroyed but completely _Obliterated _the Kyubi with out a second thought.

"Come Sarutobi surely you have better questions then that?" the man said in a mocking tone with a barely perceptible smile. "Why not ask me 'my reasons for being here' or perhaps 'why I designed the seal for Minato and not you'" the man said, his voice still reverberating ethereally in a way that seemed to be masking laughter.

A now slightly angered Hokage replied with a cold voice that held venom " why not just answer the questions before I ask them, you already _know_ what I'm going to ask…"

The man chuckled lightly but the laughter didn't reach his eyes as he replied with a large smile "Because, young Hiruzen, I like having a normal conversation even though I already know what you will say, it's nice to go through the motions"

"As for my reasons to be here? I'm merely making sure that Naruto here grows the way I need him to grow." He said his face losing the smile.

"That's not an explanation and you know it…" said Sarutobi bitterly.

The man shrugged and began to stare at the child in his arms as if watching the future come to pass. And a few moments passed by that were starting to become unbearable for Sarutobi so he silently spoke this mind.

"Why did you have to design the seal for Minato?" the elderly kage began " could you not have just wiped Kyubi of the face of the planet? Surely that would have been easier then this mess that I'm dealing with now" he finished gesturing toward the council.

At this the man looked up and gazed at the third fire shadow as if he were weighing the repercussions from answering the question. After some time and Sarutobi sweating a little under the intense stare of the man before him the man asked with a face filled with apathy but a voice filled with curiosity.

"How old do you think I am?"

Sarutobi blinked in confusion wondering where this random question came from and not know how to answer.

"You heard me. How _old _do you think I am?" he said emphasizing the old with slight force.

"Erm…" the old Hokage began not knowing where this was going "early twenties?" his statement lacking the confidence it needed came out in a question. He quickly continued asking his own question to try and get the some of the attention off of himself. "What does your age have to do with anything?"

The man nodded and ignoring the Sandaime's question asked "And why do you think that?" he paused for a moment "Is it because of the way I look?"

The old Hokage nodded still thoroughly confused.

"Well what about now?" he said with a brief pause between each word, and in the time it took to finish the sentence he aged… literally _aged _… and now look older then Sarutobi himself! The Hokage was speechless. His mind was screaming at him that this wasn't possible but his heart told it was. Standing in front of him stood an elderly man slightly shorter then a few moments ago with graying hair.

"How do I look now?" the man repeated his question.

"O-o-older." Sarutobi sputtered out.

Again before his eyes the man changed his age only this time it regressed. The Hokage was now having a very hard time believing what he was seeing was not an illusion for now the person in front of him was now no older than an academy student.

"What about now?" he said "Do I appear to be a child?" the same smooth ethereal voice echoed out

Not trusting his voice Sarutobi simply nodded. "Do you understand more now?" the boy asked.

Sarutobi shook his head still not trusting his voice, and the boy sighed. Holding up three fingers he took a breath and said.

"There are three major powers the govern the world. The first…" he puts a finger down " is Kami, the almighty creator and overseer, she created everything. The second…" he put down another finger " is Fate, the one who decides everything from when the next war happens to which way a blade of grass sways in the wind. And the last…" he said dropping the last finger " is Karma and the best way to describe karma is divine punishment." Through his small speech the boy aged once more to what he originally looked like. He stood there waiting for his words to sink in.

After a few minutes of trying to collect his mind Sarutobi glanced once to the man's head band on his arm and read the kanji which stood for 'Fate' and asked the first thing that came to mind.

"I take it your 'fate'?" he asked.

"If that is what you wish to call me then that is who I am," he said cryptically

Sighing Sarutobi nodded and asked, "What is so special about Naruto? Why are you here?"

'Fate' smiled and looked down at the baby in his arms before speaking "Many, many things. But to answer your last question, I'm here to make sure Naruto isn't babied like you would have him be…"

"What? Why?" Sarutobi asked

"Because if he lives with you the story and challenges I have planed out for him wouldn't last long enough and if that happens… I will not have anything exciting to write about…" Sarutobi was suddenly treated to the sight of an almighty being pouting…then what he said finally sunk in.

"What do you mean 'write about'?" asked Sarutobi eyes narrowing in suspicion

" Well that's simple" the man said, " I write… you didn't honestly think the whole of history was recorded on a giant tapestry did you…?"

Sarutobi nodded dumbly as the man before him chuckled and smiled but that smile died as he looked back down at Naruto and sighed.

"Unfortunately," he began "for any of the happiness that I have planed out for him in his life…" he paused for a moment thinking of the right words to say "… the first few years of his life will have to be the absolute worst." He finished with a voice laden with sadness and regret and handed Naruto back to the Hokage.

Slowly he starts fading a way into nothingness but not before saying "do not worry too much about him, the good always outweighs the bad."

Looking down at Naruto as the last echoes of the man's voice fade away, Sarutobi felt a blast of sound from the council as the cries of "Kill the demon!" and "it doesn't deserve to live!" began again with new vigor. The old Hokage could only sigh as the future was becoming more and more clouded for Naruto by the second. It was then he realized with a groan that all the paperwork that would surely be piled up from this whole ordeal would be waiting for him in the Hokage's office.

* * *

(1) Hiruzen is the Sandaime's first name for those that didn't know

(2) I am currently trying to think of a title for him to have but at this point i have no idea of what it could be

(3) Think Mithril from Lord of the Rings but _a lot_ more intricate

* * *

**A/N: hope you liked it and cant wait for my next chapter till then read and review for me so if I know I doing well**

**And by the way this story will **_**NOT**_ **be a harem fic nor will it have **_**ANY**_** form of yaoi or yuri **

**Anyway ^.^ bring on the flames I absolutely love fire, its nice and warm and keeps all the mean pedophiles away( Orochimaru )**

**remember......READ AND REVIEW**


	2. To Be A Ninja

**A/n: ****Ok one thing you should know par of this chapter is based off the first chapter of "a different path" by Gaurdianangelzelos as you know it **_**will**_**have similarities but if it's still too close for comfort to you, let me know. Btw this WILL be a super Naruto fic, don't like Naruto being kick ass then I suggest you read something else, maybe even watch something else. Because in my opinion Naruto having the strongest demon in existence sealed into him, gives him every right to be just as powerful (a wave of his hand and a mountain goes poof?) now to get that kind of power he **_**will**_** have to train… I mean where's the fun if I make him a god right of the press I mean hell if he's that powerful then I have no story… well id still have one but it would be cruddy… and one last thing for any flamers that take it upon themselves to let me know how bad my story is……**

**Thank you for reviewing…(for full effect, picture Naruto smiling his biggest smile while he's flipping you off) **

Disclaimer- yea I know that this is to keep the worst evil known to man away (lawyers) so ill just say it: I don't own Naruto, if I did I swear Naruto would be more awesome…like ketchup…yep like ketchup

* * *

He was in a sewer. That much the young blond knew, but what didn't make sense was that there was no smell, there was about half a foot of murky water but no smell. Looking around he had no idea where he was. The last thing he remembered was going to bed in his apartment. But here he was in a sewer, wandering aimlessly for what had seemed like hours, when he saw a lit room ahead. Walking through the doorway, he entered into a huge room with pipes and valves everywhere. But the most noticeable thing in the large room were the nine giant ornate golden pillars on the far end of the room. On the largest pillar in the center was a plate of silver that had the kanji for 'seal' engraved into it. In front, contrasting against the absolute darkness on the other side of the pillars, stood a figure wearing a white cloak that shrouded his face. The person was almost like a statue, never moving but Naruto could feel the eyes on him, staring, watching his every movement. That was when he heard the voice… the voice was a deep bass that reverberated and echoed off the walls loudly, and yet at the same time was nothing more then a whisper on the wind.

"Welcome, young Uzumaki," the voice said as the cloaked figure took a step forward. It was then that Naruto noticed something else about this man, if the voice was any indication at all; he was walking not through the water but _on _it. It was then Naruto knew that whatever this man was, he was to be respected and feared.

"You are correct, that I should be respected Naruto but please don't be afraid. I'm not here to hurt you, just to help you…"

The small blonde paled when the voice read his mind. The man was now almost within arms reach when the voice spoke again.

"Do you know where we are?" Naruto shook his head quickly. The man in the cloak then turned around and gestured with his arms as he spoke.

"This is your mindscape, your mental representation of your body and everything in it including organs, memories, and your chakra."

"What about those?" Naruto asked pointing to the pillars and wincing at how small and weak his voice was compared to the person in front of him.

"Why don't you go get a closer look at them? Maybe then you will know what they represent." the voice said as the man stepped out of the way and turned to watch him again.

Swallowing his fear he nodded and took a step forward, the water around his feet sloshing noisily. Once he got over to the main center pillar he looked back at the man who nodded his head, silently saying 'go on'. Naruto looked back at the pillar in front of him and started to inspect it. It was big that was for sure, but what interested him the most was the small (compared to the pillar) intricate engraving of a regular fox sitting on the ground with the kanji for power on its chest. Around the fox on the pillar was carved to look like a forest with what looked to be mountains in the background. Glancing at the other pillars the scenes were similar in that there was fox on them, but even the fox was different on them. One pillar had a standing fox with two tails while another had a sleeping fox with eight.

"Why are there foxes on them?" he said to himself, looking back at the pillar in front of himself. The fox on it seemed to stare at him as if were alive.

"It is because that is what is on the other side." He looked back to see the man had walked up and stood behind him

"There is a fox on the other side?"

Looking back at the pillars he thought about what could be on the other side, and the only thing that made fit them was a fox. But the only foxes he had ever seen were as barely bigger then dog, and yet the pillars too big to keep something that small on the other side. Another thing that didn't make sense, why was there a fox in his mind? Glancing back at the man he was about to voice his question when the man cut him off.

"Ask me no questions, and I'll tell you no lies. When the time comes Naruto you will know exactly what lies behind the pillars. Till then you should work on your chakra control, the difference between a great ninja and a legendary one is control. Try asking someone, your sensei perhaps, to help you with it."

Naruto nodded. He could do that since he was enrolled in the ninja academy and would start soon. He was about to leave when he realized he didn't know how to leave. As he turned to ask the man how to leave his world went black.

* * *

_Beep…_

_Beep…_

_Beep…_

Slowly Naruto started to wake trying to find the off switch for the accursed screaming box of annoyingness before sitting up and stretching. Getting out of bed the small blonde made his way to the calendar on the other side of the room. Upon reaching his destination he stops dead realizing what day it was and smiled. The first day of school…

The blonde eight year old with a huge smile on his face made his way to the cabinet and picked out one of his many stale instant ramen cups. Even though it was stale it was one of the few things that the villagers would actually let him buy. He liked other foods it was just cheaper and easier to buy stale ramen then to deal with an angry mob. With a sigh, he heated some water for his ramen.

After he finished his meal and dressing in his usual white t-shirt with a red spiral on the front, his orange jacket, and his orange pants, he quietly made his way downstairs. Though he attempted to keep himself quiet and unnoticeable, he found the second he left his apartment people would either disappear or gather together and beat him, the latter most often being the case. The boy looked down the walkway making sure to not bother anyone and to ignore each of the hateful glares that was being shot at him. He watched as the few people around him started to gather and grow in number while they mumbled things like "there's the demon" and "why doesn't he just die?"

Running as fast as he could, he ran in the direction of the academy before a riot could start. Again...

After running a couple blocks down the street, Naruto let out a sigh of relief that he had gotten away unscathed. With only single glance back over his shoulder, he continued on his way to the academy.

A few minutes after he first started his trek, he saw another boy walk around the corner a block ahead of him and begin walking the same direction, not noticing Naruto all the while. For a second, Naruto stopped his walking and just watched the other boy walking down the street in front of him. Then, with a mischievous smile, Naruto jumped into the trees and hopped from tree to tree until he was almost on top of him. Naruto chuckled manically in his mind as he followed the boy within the safety of the trees, making sure that he wasn't seen or heard. Though there was one point where he accidentally broke a branch while the boy under him stopped and looked upwards into the branches above him, he then sighed and continued his walk to the academy muttering something under his breath about 'blondes' and 'shadows'.

Naruto was silently cursing himself for making such a stupid mistake. He sat there as still as possible for a few seconds while the boy on the ground gained some distance. Again Naruto set out trying to sneak up on the youth in front of him before silently dropping to the ground. There was _no_ way his plan could fail this time. He was almost in position when he found he couldn't move…

"How can you ever expect to sneak up on someone if you give away your position every time?" the other boy asked with a sigh as he looked up at the clouds with his hands in his pockets as Naruto mimicked his movements.

"How do you always do that," Naruto said, as he stood there forced to stare into the sky.

"It's not hard I just pay attention to my surroundings," the pineapple haired boy replied as he sighed yet again. "C'mon Naruto we're going to be late if we don't hurry"

He said as he released his jutsu and continued on his way with a pouting Naruto walking beside him.

Several minutes later as they were nearing the academy they heard the screams approaching. Anyone with any amount of intelligence knew enough to get out of the way, and they wisely did just that and waited for the eventual banshee hurricane to pass…

"Forehead Girl!"

"Ino Pig!"

"Forehead Girl!"

"Ino Pig!"

"Forehead Girl!"

"Ino Pig!"

The two girls passed with dust trailing behind them, running over everything and everyone that got in their way, including an unsuspecting ANBU who managed to land in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"Ouch… poor guy never even knew what hit him," Naruto said as he winced at the sight of the trampled man.

"Hey Shika, think I could sneak up on Hina-chan?" Shikamaru looked at him like he was a complete idiot, for not seeing the very person he was talking about behind him, before sighing and walked off alone leaving Naruto standing there.

Naruto was about to follow him when felt something watching him, he stopped as he turned around to look at the bushes. Looking at them suspiciously, he tiptoed toward them, inspecting them for a moment. After a couple more seconds, he shrugged and turned around to leave, but then jumped back at the bushes to surprise whoever was in them. And Naruto came face to face with…no one. Naruto closed his eyes and scratched the back of his head, thinking for sure that he had felt someone watching. Then, with another shrug, he walked away with his hands folded behind his head.

As soon as he was turned around a small girl stepped out behind a tree and looked after him. With a slightly blushing face, she snuck up behind the boy getting ready to attack. When he finally her steps he stopped dead almost causing her to run into him, spinning as fast as he could Naruto spun around to peer in the opposite direction only to stare at nothing, turning back around Naruto found himself face to Juukenand froze.

"Naruto-kun, you really need to pay attention better," the small girl playfully scolded him with a slightly darkening blush

**(A/N: in my story Hinata wont stutter in certain situations because she grew up with Naruto and that alone helped her speak more clearly)**

"Hey, that's not fair! You weren't supposed to sneak up on me!" Naruto pouted while Hinata giggled

"That's one more for me Naruto-kun," she said thinking about the game they decided to play a few weeks ago that involved them trying to catch each other off guard.

Still pouting Naruto looked at his best friend and her eyes, which held the activated Byakugan. He never really understood why he would stare at them but he would catch himself every now and then staring He also never caught on to her staring at him with a blush on her face whenever he wasn't paying attention.

Breaking him from his thoughts Hinata told him she was going to continue on her way to school before walking away. Naruto himself was still lost in thought thinking up ways to sneak up on her when he realized she was already gone and he was about to be late.

Sprinting off in the direction of the academy. He never saw the man with a solid white cloak standing on the building fade away turning to dust in the light breeze.

* * *

Naruto had just taken his seat next to Hinata and Shikamaru when their sensei spoke up.

"Okay class," said the young man toward the large number of children before him. He wore the signature Chuunin vest and a hitae-ate with the leaf symbol on it rested on his forehead. His brown hair was tied back and a scar went across his upper nose, far enough to reach past his eyes. Yet the scar could not hinder how kind his eyes were. "My name is Umino Iruka, and I will be teaching you for the next four years that you will be training here. I hope I can get to know all of you while you are here." Iruka said with a close-eyed smile.

"Now, before we begin I'm going to do a roll call and make sure everyone is here." He said never letting the smile slip

A few minutes later, with Iruka almost done he came across a name that he thought he would never see…Uzumaki Naruto.

He looked up and searched the room before finding the trademarked whiskers and blonde hair. Even though he hated to admit it, he could not help but think, '_Kyuubi no Yoko…_' he knew that the child was just the container but it was still hard not to think of him as the demon himself.

Hesitantly he finished roll call and paused to think about how the next few years would be torture with him having to deal with the container everyday. he sighed before taking a deep breath to put his smile back on before continuing his speech.

"Now, before I tell you what we will be doing this year, I think we should have everyone introduce themselves…"

* * *

The first day of school was over and the rest of the students were leaving while Naruto stayed behind and waited. During the first lesson describing chakra, Naruto remembered his dream and what the man said. Even though it was a dream it couldn't hurt to get help. The last person to leave was Hinata and just as she went out the door she looked back blushing. Of course Naruto again didn't notice the blush but waved to her as she left. Iruka noticed that he didn't leave and waited till everyone had left before asking what Naruto wanted.

"Naruto, why did you stay behind? Was there something in today's lesson that confused you?"

"No sensei, I wanted to ask you if you could help me control my chakra better." He said

If Naruto had asked at the beginning of class, Iruka would have immediately refused. But seeing how Naruto paid attention and was an over all good student and didn't try to disrupt class (even though the other students interrupted it saying it was his fault).

"Okay, since learning how to draw out chakra was covered in the lesson today. How about I show you something that will help your control greatly if you can master it."

Seeing Naruto's confused but happy face Iruka smiled and continued. "Follow me, we need to be outside to do this."

Not arguing since someone was actually helping him for a change Naruto followed his sensei out side to a small grove of trees were Iruka stopped and started smiling.

"Now here we will begin the first exercise: tree climbing." He was about to show Naruto how to do it when the young blonde asked,

"Sensei how is climbing trees going to help me when I already know how?"

Not saying anything Iruka walked up the tree and stood there letting his actions speak for him. Naruto watched as his sensei walked up the tree.

"How do I do that?" he asked.

"You remember how to draw and focus your chakra right?" he nodded "just focus it on the bottom of your feet then get a running start,"

Nodding again Naruto was about to try when a kunai hit the ground in front of him looking up questioningly at his sensei Iruka spoke "Use it to track your progress up the tree."

Grabbing the kunai Naruto focused his chakra and ran up the tree, getting about six steps up before slipping. He quickly marked his place before he fell to the ground.

Iruka, now on the ground behind Naruto, sat and watched the boy run up the tree mark it then fall over and over. He sighed as he watched knowing this would take a long time for the young blonde to master.

* * *

**_Four years later_**

* * *

Naruto was sitting next to Hinata and Shikamaru waiting for Iruka to arrive in the classroom. Looking around the room he watched the rest of his friends talk amongst themselves. Ino and Sakura were arguing over who 'Sasuke-kun' liked more, who was going to sit next to him, and what they thought he liked the most. The emo himself was having a heated brood-off with the window, trying to melt a hole into it and burn something outside with his thoughts alone. Kiba was busy boasting to the nearest girl, how strong he was and how he could 'beat anyone in a fight'. Chouji was munching on chips from the bag that never seemed to empty, and Shino was being…well Shino. Hinata was (to him) acting weird, looking at the floor like it was the most interesting thing in the world while glancing at him every few seconds, and Shikamaru was asleep…again…

Naruto sighed wondering what the test was going to be over, when the door opened and Iruka and Mizuki walked in. they walked to the front of the room and almost immediately all attention was on Iruka.

"We will now start the final exam, which you will be graded in three different categories: throwing weapons, taijutsu, and ninjutsu, when we are finished with the first two parts of the test, your name will be called, please continue to the next room where we will administer the final part…" at this point Naruto tuned him out while thinking about what technique he would be made to use during the ninjutsu portion of the test.

"NARUTO!!" Iruka yelled bringing Naruto forcefully out of his thoughts. " Did you even listen to my instructions?" Iruka asked

"Of course I did sensei," Naruto said as he scratched the back of his head and smiling.

" Really? Then why are you the only one left in the classroom when everyone else is outside?" he said slightly smirking as Naruto started to sweat.

"uh…er…sorry sensei," he said as he dropped his head not wanting to meet his teacher's eyes.

Iruka sighed, "C'mon Naruto don't want to miss the first part of the exam,"

Naruto nodded and followed Iruka outside to where the rest of the class was lined up and waiting to throw. He took his place at the far end and waited like everyone else.

"Okay," Iruka began "one at a time, you will all throw 5 kunai and 5 shuriken then we will grade you on accuracy, first up" he said glancing down at a clipboard in his hands "will be…"

The minutes slowly ticked by as student by student they where called into the next room for the final part of the exam. So far Naruto hadn't been doing to well he could only get half of his kunai and shuriken to stick to the target and in the taijutsu tournament he got beaten because his stance was 'sub-par' as Mizuki put it. Slowly as Iruka came closer to his name Naruto became more and more tense, which did not go unnoticed by the small lavender eyed girl next to him.

"N-Naruto-kun, what's wrong?" she asked her voice barely a whisper and a light pink tinge on her cheeks.

Naruto, who was arguing with himself over how bad he was going to mess up the final test, didn't hear her. Seeing this she tried again a little louder. "Naruto?"

And again the blonde didn't hear her. A few seconds later, with Hinata was starting to worry even more, she reached over and lightly touched him on the shoulder. The reaction was instantaneous… he jumped nearly a foot out of his seat and looked like he was about to have a heart attack.

"What's wrong?" Hinata asked once again. Naruto sighed. He didn't want to tell anyone he was afraid. But it was Hinata, one of the very few people that would even begin to listen to him and for some strange reason, looking into her eyes he felt he could tell her anything; it was strangely comforting and he slowly relaxed.

"I don't know what they are going to have me do for my ninjutsu, I'm better at ninjutsu that anything else but I still cant make a clone." He began "If fail, I can't become a ninja." He sighed and looked at the ground. Hinata was about to reply to him when Mizuki walked in.

"Naruto Uzumaki." Mizuki said and walked back out the open door. Hinata look back at Naruto

"Don't worry about it too much, I know you'll pass" she said smiling at him and he couldn't help but smile back.

"Arigatou, Hinata-chan."

Naruto then fallowed after Mizuki in the next room. As he walked in he look around, at the front of the room was a table where Iruka sat waiting. On the table was the many different hitae-ate that ranged from belts to bandanas. The light was streaming in through the multiple windows as he walked to the center of the room to wait for instructions.

Over the past few years Iruka had helped Naruto with his chakra control after school. Doing tree climbing, water walking, and the leaf exercise. Eventually his control got to the point where he could do the henge with out any hand signs or saying the jutsu name. But that same proficiency didn't translate to his clone jutsu no matter what Naruto did he just could not make a clone. And unfortunately for Naruto that was what the final part was over.

"Naruto please make three clones." Iruka said

Naruto flinched when he heard what jutsu he had to use then nodded before putting his hands together in the hand sign that he needed and yelled out "clone jutsu" and a cloud of smoke appeared.

As the smoke settled it revealed that the single clone made could barely stand and was sickly looking. Seeing this Iruka sighed and failed him.

"Iruka," Mizuki began before Naruto could leave "the clone was off, but his hand sign was correct and he did manage to make a clone that would distract the enemy. You know how hard he has been practicing," it was a well-known fact around the village that Iruka spent time with Naruto helping him when no one else would. "We could cut him a break and let him pass." He finished.

Looking at Naruto being filled with hope, Iruka hated to say no but he had to. "Mizuki," Iruka began with a sigh "the other students could each create at least three clones, but Naruto could only make one and look at it … it's pitiful…I can't pass Naruto this way…"

That was the last of what Naruto heard as he ran from the room.

Later that day Naruto sat watching the others talking and laughing while their parents boasted to each other. He listened to the adults that were talking about him and managed to overhear two mothers talking about him.

"There he is…" one said

"I heard he's the only one who failed…" the other said

"Hmph…serves him right …" the first said

"Just imagine what would happen if _he_ became as ninja… I mean he's the-" the second was cut off by the first.

"Shh! You know we're not allowed to talk about that!"

Naruto, finally hearing enough, decided to leave when Mizuki appeared next to him and motioned for Naruto to follow him. After they were alone sitting on a rooftop watching the sun set Mizuki spoke.

"Don't worry Naruto, Iruka's tough but he's not against you"

"Then why, why was I the only one that failed?"

"He wants you to be strong with all his heart, but that will never happen if he goes easy on you…" Mizuki paused in thought. "He's like you, you know," he said glancing at Naruto before returning his gaze to the setting sun.

"No parents, no family…"

"But I really wanted to pass" said sadly "I tried so hard practicing every day, I'd give anything to pass…"

Instantly a smirk came to Mizuki's face. " Then I guess I have to tell you…" he paused to make sure he had Naruto's attention "it's a secret but I'm going to let you in on it…"

* * *

Naruto panted as he sat on the grass, the trees around him slashed and burned with what looked to be drilled holes in them. It had taken the better part of the night, but he had done it. He had been able to master several jutsu from the scroll one of them helped him master the others and that one would be enough to get him to pass. he was about to stand up and go return the scroll when Naruto looked up as Iruka landed in front of him, a creepy look on his face. "I've found you."

Naruto scratched the back of his head, laughing nervously, "Heh heh, yeah, you found me. I only had a chance to learn a few Jutsu!"

Iruka's eyes trailed over the clearing and Naruto's form, noticing rips and frayed patches in the fabric of his black tee shirt and the burns, holes, and scratches in the trees, "You've been working hard. What have you been doing?"

Naruto giggled excitedly, " I mastered some really cool jutsu!! Listen sensei, if I show you a powerful Jutsu, you'll have to let me graduate!"

Iruka blinked, "What gave you that idea?"

Naruto grinned, "Mizuki-sensei!" Naruto patted the large scroll on his back, "He told me where to find this scroll and he said that if I mastered one Jutsu on here, you'd let me graduate!"

Iruka's mouth fell open, _'Why would Mizuki-'_

A whooshing sound fell unto their ears, Suddenly Iruka pushed him away and a barrage of kunai flew out of the trees at them. Iruka raised his arms to defend himself and was pushed against and pinned to the hut by the rain of throwing knives.

A soft rustle of leaves brought everyone's attention to the other end of the clearing, where Mizuki sat on a branch. A smirk was plastered to his lips and two large shuriken were strapped to his back. The super sized throwing stars clanged lightly as he let out a dark chuckle. "I'm impressed Iruka, you managed to find him before I could."

"I see," Iruka spat, tugging a kunai from his shoulder, "So that's what's going on…"

"Naruto," Mizuki's malicious smile disappeared, "Give me the scroll now!"

"No matter what," Iruka pulled another knife from his shoulder, "Naruto, don't give him the scroll! He _used_ you to get his dirty hands on it!"

An evil grin stretched across the silver haired man's face.

"Naruto, he just doesn't want you to have the scroll"

"Stop lying Mizuki!! Don't listen Naruto!"

"Naruto," Mizuki said in a singsong voice, "how about I tell you the real truth…"

"No, Mizuki!" Iruka shouted in protest. "It's forbidden!!"

Mizuki's smirk widened into a maniacal grin and his voice was slightly giddy, "Twelve years ago, the demon fox Kyubi was sealed. And ever since that event, a new rule was created…a rule that everyone knows but you…because, Naruto…you were never meant to know it."

"Huh?" Naruto asked, "What rule?"

"That no one is allowed to speak of it, Iruka's trying to hide it even now," Mizuki's eyes widened excitedly. "the truth is Naruto, That the nine tailed demon fox that killed Iruka's parents and nearly destroyed the village is inside you!!"

Mizuki's smile threatened to split his face as Naruto looked at the ground.

"You were sealed up by the Hokage you admire…" Mizuki's voice rose. "That's why everybody hates you! That's why people treat you like dirt…because you _are_ the nine tailed fox!!_"_

Mizuki paused and waited for Naruto's reaction but when the boy just stood there with his head down, he started to get worried but that didn't wipe the grin off his face.

"I don't care"

Mizuki face grew confused. "Huh?"

"I don't care!!!" Naruto yelled, "I don't care if I'm the Kyubi or if I'm the Hokage! You think that just because you say that people hate me, that I'll just lay down and die?! I wont give people like you the satisfaction."

Naruto made a sign and a several hundred shadow clones surrounded the clearing. Each and every one of them was angry.

"Bu-but…but…" Mizuki stuttered. "That's impossible!!"

Mizuki backed away into the awaiting grasp of two Naruto clones. He could do nothing to stop them from grabbing his arms and throwing him into the crowd of clones below.

Naruto's icy gaze bore into Mizuki's eyes, "this is where I beat you within an inch of your life…"

Fear crept onto the traitor's face, "N-no! Y-you're the D-dead last!"

"But I think the ANBU in the trees have something more _fun_planed for you…" he finished just as a squad of ANBU landed in the clearing surrounding Mizuki

"Looks like Ibiki is going to have some fun tonight" one said as they disappeared with a screaming Mizuki.

The blonde ninja turned and swaggered back to Iruka as his clones disappeared, a smile on his face, "Are you okay, Iruka-sensei?"

Iruka smiled back, "Close your eyes, Naruto."

Naruto closed his eyes and held his breath, his heart beating erratically. He could feel his goggles being pulled from his head, then a piece of cloth being tied above his eyebrows. He couldn't help the grin that stretched across his face.

* * *

Naruto was on his way home to get some sleep before having to go to the academy to be assigned into a team. He was thinking about who would be on his team.

'If it was Hinata, Shikamaru, and me, the team would be awesome. I'm already training with them...' his thoughts stopped abruptly as he ran into someone as he walked around a corner.

"Hey watch where you're go-"

"Hello Naruto, how long has it been since our last meet?" said a voice that sent chills down his spine. Looking up he saw it was the man that introduced him to Hinata all those years ago.

_=-=-=-=-=**Flashback**=-=-=-=-=(four years after the sealing)_

_Naruto was sitting in the training ground turned park watching the other kids play. He always wanted to play with them but whenever he would try an adult would grab him and drag him away for a beating and tell him to never go near them. They would never tell him why, only beat him and yell at him for even thinking about going near the other children._

_He was about to start crying when someone spoke. Their voice deep and calming and yet unsettling to the point were you would remember every word spoken._

_"Hello, why are you sitting here when you should be playing?"_

_The man was pale and had long black hair. He wore white shirt, on his right arm was a white cloth hitae-ate with a black plate that had a white kanji engraved on it. His pants were black and he wore a pair black leather boots. His silver eyes stared intently into Naruto's blue._

_"The adults wont let me. They always beat me when I get near." He said tears beginning to show in his eyes._

_"I see, how about you follow me and tell me all about yourself?" the strange man asked. Naruto didn't know what to do all his life no one had ever cared enough to listen to him, they always yelled._

_Nodding Naruto stood and followed the man into forest down a path he never noticed before. After a few seconds the man stopped and looked at Naruto. " Well this is as good a place as any to begin your story just start talking when you feel comfortable." He said and walked off and left Naruto standing there confused before he ran to catch up._

_Naruto started off slightly stuttering afraid that he would be beaten but slowly gained confidence and told the man about his short life and how he was treated. The man never once yelled at him or even interrupted, which made Naruto start babbling about everything he knew about. Naruto had lost track of time when the man stopped and he ran into him and fell down._

_"Hey, why did-" Naruto began but was silenced by the man_

_"Shh, do you hear something?" he asked. At first Naruto didn't bet when he concentrated he thought he heard someone crying. Looking at the man questioningly he helped Naruto up and pointed. Naruto followed his finger to an outcropping of boulders._

_" There…" the man's voice trailed off._

_Naruto looked back confused, but found nothing the man had disappeared. Sighing he slowly walked over and peeked around the rocks. As the man had said, he found a small girl with dark blue hair crying, she hadn't noticed him yet._

_"What's wrong?" he asked._

_The girl looked up and small lavender pupil-less eyes met blue. "Nani?! W-who are you?" she asked_

_"I'm Naruto Uzumaki, nice to meet you."_

_=-=-=-=-=**Flashback End**=-=-=-=-=_

After that Naruto and Hinata became best friends, playing with each other whenever the chance came up. The man on the other hand, he never found again.

"What do you want?" Naruto asked. He wasn't stupid the last time this man showed his face his life changed, he knew whatever this man wanted it would change his life again.

"Just to ask you a few questions that's all," he said

" And that would be?"

"What do you think of my eyes?" he asked. Naruto looked him in the eye, and even in the dark the moonlight was enough to make his eyes almost glow with flecks of red, green, and blue around the edges of his golden pupil.

"Their kind' a cool," he said trying to pass off his interest in them as nothing.

"Would you like yours to be like mine?" he asked

"Uhm, I guess, it would be awesome way to scare my enemies." Naruto said while in his 'thinking pose' " doesn't really matter though I don't need them it's not like it would change anything about me, I mean it would be nice to have but unless they somehow magically make me super cool, I don't need them."

The man chucked lightly "Alright that's all I want to know." He said as he helped Naruto to his feet. " You should get some sleep, you have a very busy day tomorrow,"

Naruto walk past him the door to the building where his apartment was. When the man spoke again, " Do be careful Naruto, dreams are never what they appear to be…" his voice trailed off as Naruto looked back to see the man had disappeared again.

As soon as Naruto's head hit his pillow he was asleep, lost in his dreams.

* * *

**And there is chapter two you know the drill people, review **

**let me know how bad or how good you think my strory is. just remember this is my story im writing it not you **

**Next chapter: the Jonin, the Test, and the First Mission**


	3. A Test with Bells

**A/n: ok here is chapter three hope you like it I know its different but bear with me I know it will be odd and im sorry if I seem to be bashing different characters but its just how they seemed to be in cannon to me for this particular part of the anime.**

**On a side note I know you who read my story want updates as fast as possible but im not exactly a fast writer so I have to say that I will have a new shapter (yes I said shapter not chapter) within 30 days of the previous one that way I minimize typos and grammar errors as well as making sure the chapters flow well and the story is consistent( I really don't want Naruto to be a super powerful one chapter and then have him get his ass handed to him in the next by someone that should be weaker than him.**

**Edit: i had been forgetting to thank my all powerful editor and beta Leaf Ranger, with out him my story would be a big jumble of words**

**That being said… enjoy**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto…. but if I _did_ he wouldn't be so weak in the anime…seriously…the way it the anime goes it should be called "_Sasuke" _and not _"Naruto"_ but hey … that's just my opinion…

* * *

Naruto found himself in the main room of his mind again. It had changed since his last visit and he almost didn't recognize it. There were still thousands of pipes like last time but now there were thousands more and each of them, massive bigger around then he was. The golden pillars with the depictions of foxes on them were larger as well and behind them, it was shrouded in pitch-black shadows, as if all light was being sucked into the area just behind them. Unlike last time there was no man standing in front of the pillars, no one to tell him why he was back here, at least until the eyes opened. Two massive red fox-like eyes opened just behind the pillars dwarfing them and him.

"**So you decided to come back after all…?"** the being that the eyes belonged to had a voice that was animalistic and deep. It echoed off the walls and pipes, making the entire place quake as if the complex would suddenly collapse at any point.

"**To what do I owe the honor of a visit from my most glorious and esteemed jailor?"** it said, voice brimming with sarcasm. Naruto stood there wondering what it was when he remembered what the man said.

"…Kyuubi…"he said his voice barely above a whisper.

"**Well, well," **the Kyuubi said in mock astonishment "**you already know who I am? Good. That will make things much less stressful for the rest of the conversation."** The Kyuubi said in a bored tone, but its eyes never once blinked or even twitched. The sight was definitely starting to unnerve Naruto.

"Why am I here?" asked Naruto. The eyes of the Kyuubi widened slightly but Naruto couldn't tell for sure.

"**Why do you not cower in fear **_**human**_**, you stand before the greatest of the tailed demons, the lord of foxes, the most powerful demon to ever walk the face of the planet?" **The Kyuubi asked, in a semi curious tone. Naruto stood there for a moment, thinking over his response, looking at the murky water that now was up to his knees.

"Should I?" he asked, "I don't see why; I'm here and you're behind the pillars. Why should I fear you, you are no more a threat to me then a baby in a crib." He finished looking the giant fox directly into the eyes, his own blue defiantly looking into the Kyuubi's massive red.

The Kyuubi laughed…or at least did what seemed to be a giant fox's equivalent of laughing. **"That is the reason for your confidence?" **it asked and Naruto nodded.

" **I see, well then…we will have to remedy that."** As it finished its sentence, the darkness that engulfed the Kyuubi dissipated and Naruto saw for the first time just how big the fox really was.

It was…for lack of a better word… huge. Naruto was sure if the Kyuubi wanted to, it could have seen over the wall of Konoha with the ease of himself looking over Kiba's dog Akamaru. Muscles and tendons flexed and tensed menacingly underneath blood red fur, and the Kyuubi stood. Were as it towered over Naruto before; it, now standing, made him feel very much like an ant. But nothing could have prepared him for what the Kyuubi did next…it walked forward to Naruto…_through _the pillars to be precise. And this fact scared Naruto more than anything had ever in his entire life…

He would have taken a step back if it wasn't for the fact that it looked like the closer Kyuubi got to him the smaller he got…or at least that was what it looked like…then Naruto noticed something strange that he hadn't before… as the Kyuubi walked, it's body seemed to flicker and disappear briefly every step or so. Finally as a horse sized Kyuubi stood in front of him…it…disappeared… and in its place stood the man that had explained his mindscape years before. Except this time the hood was down and Naruto could finally see the face of the man. If it could be called human, Naruto was the daimyo. The person in front of him wearing a solid white cloak looked like a combination of a fox and a man. It stood like a man walked like one and yet the head was that of a fox with silver and white fur, the eyes were still blood red but the overall look seemed no more malevolent then looking at the hokage.

The fox before him then smiled…at least he hoped it was a smile and spoke and the same deep bass that reverberated and echoed off the walls loudly, and yet at the same time was nothing more than a whisper on the wind, returned from years before. "What did you think of my illusion?" he asked

A dumbstruck Naruto replied with the first thing that came to his young mind… "Huh?"

The fox-like man in front of him rolled his eyes and said "The whole gigantic fox thing…you know the one that was behind the bars," Naruto nodded "was an illusion, a genjutsu of a sort…very powerful, very convincing" he said with an air of smugness. Naruto slowly got over the fact that the giant nine-tailed beast wasn't real.

"I'm still the Kyuubi, but im not huge like you humans think," the man said, guessing at Naruto's train of thought. To emphasize his point nine silver and white tails uncoiled themselves from around his waist and chest and waved slowly back and forth behind him from underneath the cloak.

"Wait isn't the Kyuubi supposed to be a _huge_ fox demon, that's _**evil**_?" Naruto asked confused at this new development. The man before him chuckled for a moment then sighed before answering

"What is it with humans and labeling everything that's either more powerful than them or they don't understand?" he said to no one in particular

"Naruto do I look evil to you?" Naruto looked at the being in front of him… He stared long and hard at every feature of the man in front of him the teeth, the fur, the cloak, the clothing beneath it, the tails, his personality, the only thing that even hinted at being evil was his blood red eyes that seemed to have an eerie glow.

"No," he said after a few minutes of thinking "you don't look evil." The fox-like man smiled

"Did you know, there are two very interesting things that can be done while in your mindscape?" The Kyuubi's smile got wider as Naruto shook his head. "One of them is chakra training. Time has no meaning here, therefore one could train a thousand years here," He swung his arms wide, gesturing at the large room they stood in "and it would still only be one night's sleep in the real world." Naruto looked as though he want to ask something but before he could get it out Kyuubi continued, "The other is whatever skill you learn while here, you can perform at _will_ there." He finished, and his smile widened again as Naruto opened his mouth.

"Uhm, ok? What does that mean? And what does it have to do with me?" He said with a confused look while scratching the back of his head.

The fox man chuckled and if it was possible his smile got even wider. "I'm glad you asked, Naruto, I'm glad you asked…"

* * *

For what felt like hundreds of years the fox made him run chakra drills. Forcing Naruto to control his chakra in ways he never thought possible: controlling elements, strengthening his muscles and skin, doing different jutsu at will with out saying the name or making hand signs, making weapons out of chakra, enlarging his reserves, all of it and more and Naruto was getting sick of it. He could do everything the fox had taught him and more, but he still couldn't find a way out of his own mind. He was busy working on perfecting his already perfect control (not that he wanted to do it, it was just that Kyuubi would always figure out a way to talk him into it) when Kyuubi walked over to him.

"Ok you can stop now, its time for you to go back," he said with a close eyed smile

"'Bout time I'm sick of doing these exercises, you've already told me my control is almost as good as yours. I was wondering when I would be able to leave…"

Kyuubi just smiled and said "You could have left at any point in your training you just subconsciously didn't want too therefore you couldn't."

Naruto stood there completely still for a several seconds, staring at the humanoid fox in front of him before sighing heavily. At the beginning of his training, Naruto would probably have blown up in the Kyuubi's face, screaming about how 'he could have said something' but after spending so much time with the fox he already knew the reply… 'You didn't ask'. Naruto looked at the fox before asking,

"Exactly how do I come and go as I please?" he asked getting slightly annoyed

Laughing, the fox said "Simple. Just think about leaving and there you have it."

A tick mark appeared above Naruto's right eye before he just sighed and nodded. Before the Kyuubi's eyes for the second time the boy's form wavered and faded out of existence. He stood there thinking about what the future would hold for his container and what that meant for him._ 'I wonder how long it will take him to figure it out' _he thought as he walked toward the pillars and disappeared into the darkness just beyond them.

* * *

Naruto awoke in his apartment and looked around at the mess that it was. Ramen cups and dirty clothes everywhere. He told himself he would clean it later, then got out of bed and walked over to his closet where his clean cloths were, and sweat dropped…_ 'Damn fox was right, I don't have anything but orange…'_he made another mental note to get something of a different color before school grabbed a set of his orange clothing.

He left his apartment and walked to the nearest clothing store that wouldn't throw him out at the check out line. As he entered the small building the cashier greeted him like most of the stores did.

"Welco- oh…its _you_…well hurry up get what you want and leave…" she said, and proceeded to ignore him in favor of a magazine that she was reading before he walked in.

Naruto didn't even bother saying anything, as this was how he was treated almost everywhere else that even let him in the building. He walked over to the clothes, and started sifting through them, looking for anything that seemed to stick out and catch his attention.

It wasn't until he was about to give up and head to the academy that he found exactly what he was looking for. Something that stuck out just as bad as orange but different from orange, that fit his new style of chakra usage. In the far corner of the room, where the clothing looked old and slightly dusty, he found white…white shirts, white pants, white everything…which surprisingly wasn't very much as the whole section took up maybe two feet of the entire building. He quickly found himself a few sets of solid white clothing including a cloak that had a white outer layer with a black inner layer. The outer layer had red spirals stitched into it in random places at the bottom. He changed in the changing room and started heading to the cashier when he found a pair of solid black ninja boots with shin guards built into them. He stared at them for a few moments before grabbing them with the thought _'it's not like I need to be fast anymore'_.

He paid for the clothes and boots, and then body flickered to his apartment, then to the academy. He walked to his classroom and sat down in his normal seat and waited for the rest of his friends to arrive and notice him being there.

Slowly all of his friends arrived. None of them noticed him because he had worn orange every day for the last three years. Hinata walked in froze '_why is there someone sitting in Naruto-kun's seat' _she thought before regaining control of her body and went to sit down next to the boy that was now occupying the seat of her long time crush.

"Who are you?" she asked not looking in his direction

"Awe Hinata-chan I'm hurt…you don't recognize me?" the voice of her crush said. She looked at the boy's face and nearly fainted because it was Naruto.

"S-sorry Naruto-kun," she apologized as Shikamaru walked up and sat down on the other side of Naruto and muttered "Troublesome."

"Naruto, why are you here I don't remember seeing you pass," Naruto smiled and pointed to the clasp of his cloak which turned out to be his modified headband

"Troublesome" he sighed as Iruka walked in

"Good everyone is here," he said as he walked to the center of the room.

"As of today you are all ninja of the village hidden in the leaves. Now you are genin, first level ninjas, as such you will all be grouped into three man squads with an elite Jounin-sensei," as Iruka continued his speech all the students there had thoughts going through their heads of whom they would like to be paired with. For most of the girls in the class it was Sasuke, while for the guys it was with whom they had made friends with. Naruto was sitting there hoping his team would at least have Hinata on it _'she at least is a good kunoichi' _he thought

"Each squad was created to have a balance of strength and abilities, that's how you will be grouped." Iruka said finishing off his speech, "now to announce the squads."

This was when Naruto tuned him out in favor of trying to contact the fox _'hey fox, you there?'_ He thought

He heard a groan in the back of his mind as someone was waking up _**"what is it kid I was busy having a nice nap" **_

_'You said a long time ago that anything I learned in my mind scape I could do in the real world, right?'_

"**Yeah, so?"**

_'Well that includes all the jutsu I learned from you right?'_

"**Yeah, that includes the jutsu. Just be careful when you use it, you're not supposed to be kage level yet, remember? So unless you absolutely have to, don't do anything jutsu wise other than what's genin and Chuunin level. You can use your clones though almost everyone that's Jounin and higher knows you can do it now." **

_'What about using just chakra?'_

**"go ahead use all the chakra you want it doesn't stick out as much as high level jutsu, at least in my opinion."**

before Naruto could ask another question he heard a yawn and was cut off by kyuubi **"now if there is nothing more, I'm going back to sleep."**

And with that his mind was silent once more. It was just in time for him to hear his name called.

"Team seven: Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, and Uchiha Sasuke. Your Jonin-sensei will be Hatake Kakashi"

'Great' Naruto thought 'I'm stuck with banshee number one and the emo king himself' Sakura was busy doing a victory dance while Sasuke was still staring a hole through the window.

Hinata was sad that her crush was now on another team and she wouldn't be able to see him as much as she did in the academy. Shikamaru's thoughts were along the line of 'sucks to be him, im glad I don't have to be on a team with a banshee…'

"Team eight: Hyuuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, and Aburame Shino. Your Jonin-sensei will be Yuhi Kurenai" Iruka paused to looked at them and made sure they heard then continued

"Team nine is still in circulation so ill got strait to team ten: Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, and Choji Akimichi. Your Jounin-sensei will be Sarutobi Asuma"

Shikamaru was now thinking 'I just had to think it' as he sighed, while Ino was busy complaining at why she wasn't on Sasuke's team.

"Your sensei will pick you up shortly, until then please wait patiently" Iruka then left the room. Slowly Jounin started to appear and take the different teams with them.

Hour's later team seven was still sitting, still waiting for their sensei to arrive. Sasuke was still glaring out the window, Sakura was staring at Sasuke with hearts in her eyes, and Naruto was doing a chakra meditation that Kyuubi taught him to focus his chakra. When they heard footsteps and the door opened, and a head with silver hair appeared. Naruto opened an eye and looked at his new sensei and closed it again not caring that his sensei was late. Sakura didn't even notice because she was still staring at Sasuke with hearts in her eyes, while Sasuke just glared at their sensei for interrupting his three-hour glare off with the window.

"How can I put this…my first impression of this team is…you're boring." The silver haired man said

"Meet me in the rooftop in five minutes."

With that, he disappeared in a puff of smoke. Sasuke stood and walked out the door and Sakura followed. When they had left Naruto body flickered to reach the top, several minutes later after the rest of his team arrived so did their sensei. He appeared in a puff of smoke, leaning on the balcony railing as he put away an orange book back in his pocket. Each of them sat on a step in front of their sensei. The silver haired Jounin wasted no time and started to speak.

"Alright…why don't you introduce yourselves?"

"What are we supposed to say?" Sakura asked.

"That's easy, just tell me the things you like, things you hate, your hobbies, plans for the future, things like that." Kakashi replied in a lazy tone.

"Why don't you start sensei, that way we have an example?" she asked again

"Me? I'm Hatake Kakashi. Things I like and things I hate... I don't feel like telling you that. My dreams for the future... never really thought about it. As for my hobbies... I have lots of hobbies."

'_So all we found out was his name.'_ They all thought

"Since your so eager why don't you go first?" He said looking at Sakura.

Sakura nodded and took a deep breath as she shyly then complied.

"I'm Haruno Sakura and I like…"She momentarily glances at the brooding raven haired boy next to her and starts giggling.

"And my hobby is…" more giggling wile glancing at Sasuke

"…Well, my dream is to…"She then squeals in delight. Kakashi sweat dropped.

'_Great. A fangirl. Why do they always give me a fangirl?'_

"And what do you hate?" Kakashi said. Sakura thought about it,

"Ino-pig!!" she screamed, face scrunched up in anger **(A/n: she doesn't hate Naruto 'cause he never tried to get her to be his girlfriend)**

"Okay, next. The one in white" he said pointing at Naruto.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto. My likes are training, learning new things, my close friends, and ramen. My dislikes are people who don't believe I can make my dream come true. My hobbies are sparring, mastering ninjutsu, and _perfecting_ my chakra control. My dream is to one day become the greatest Hokage in all of Konoha!"

Even though he finished quietly the young blonde's dark azure eyes burned brightly.

_Hmm…interesting.'_

Kakashi placed his chin on his right hand as he began making an assessment of the first two students. He frowned as he mentally said,

'_Girls at her age must be more interested in love than shinobi training. And he's hiding something about his chakra…'_

Kakashi then said as he looked over the brooding Uchiha,

"Last guy."

Sasuke didn't perk up as he continued brooding but complied anyway.

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I hate a lot of things, and I don't particularly like anything. What I have is not a dream, because I will make it a reality. I'm going to restore my clan, and kill a certain someone."

'_Just as I thought.' _Kakashi thought

Though the air tensed when the raven-haired boy spoke, Naruto knew he had his work cut out for him since Sasuke was just as likely to attack his own team as to work with them.

Kakashi decided to get to the point and have the day over with.

"Alright, you three all have unique personalities. I like that. Starting tomorrow we're going to have a test. Something that we four can do…survival training."

Sakura being the 'smartest' of the group then replied,

"Why are we going to train? We had plenty of training in the academy."

"Well, if I tell you, you're not going to like it. This is no ordinary training I'm giving you…" He said starting to laugh. She nodded and he suddenly got serious before saying.

"Out of the twenty-seven graduates, only nine are going to become genin. The other eighteen will be sent back to the academy. In other words, this is a test with a failure rate of sixty-six percent."

Naruto sharpened his gaze as Sasuke's eyes widened a little. Sakura frowned at what kind of hell they're going to go through.

"See? I told you, you wouldn't like it." Kakashi said as his scare tactic managed to work. Kakashi attempted another scare tactic as he said,

"Anyway, I'm going to determine whether you pass or fail tomorrow at the training grounds. Bring your equipment and meet at _five a.m_.! Now then, meeting over. Oh, yeah and don't eat breakfast if you do, you'll _throw up_."

Naruto then smiled as Kakashi body flickered away. He knew Kakashi had something up his sleeve and he knew just who to ask advice from…

* * *

A few hours later on the Nara estate Naruto was talking to Shikamaru about what his sensei had said.

"…And he then he said if we eat anything, we would throw up." Naruto stated as he finished his recap to his friend.

"Troublesome" Shikamaru muttered under his breath. After a few minuets he spoke again "It will most likely be a test of your teamwork, he he'll probably have some way to pit you against yourselves as well as him, which he will use to pick you off one by one until he can fail all of you."

"What do you suggest I do, Shika?" Naruto asked

"Honestly I don't know Naruto, your team mates aren't the types to help one another out so I suggest you do the opposite of what he tells you to. Sleep in, eat a good breakfast. Other then that, think of a way to tell him that you know that it's a test of teamwork and that you know your teammates won't help much. Personally I'd tell him that I wasn't doing his test because it's too troublesome." He finished with a sigh

"Thanks Shika, you've confirmed my thoughts." Naruto said as he got up to leave

"What are you going to do Naruto?" Shikamaru asked as Naruto neared the door.

"Im going to do exactly what you suggested, tell him I know what he wants and that I can't get my teammates to help out." With that he walked out and closed the door

* * *

At ten the next morning Kakashi arrived with his book in hand. His three students were patiently waiting under a tree's shade. "Sorry I'm late, I'm afraid I got lost on the path of life."

"**Your late!!!**" screamed Sakura as she pointed at where Kakashi had just appeared.

Instead of answering her though, which only made her madder, he raised his hand in his typical greeting as he jumped down from a tree branch. He smiled slightly at the looks his would be students were giving him. Snapping his book closed and placing it into his hip pouch he motioned for them to follow him. The three Genin hopefuls followed the Jounin down a path into the woods.

Several minutes later they had all arrived at a clearing with three logs embedded in the ground lined up in the middle of it, and behind them in a small clearing of its own, was a large ornate rock sitting atop of a dais. Looking at the obsidian rock, you could see several names written across the many different facets. Instead of the typical weather damage you would expect to see on such an exposed object, it continued to shine in the mid-morning light.

"Now lets get started." He said as he put a clock on top of the center post.

"The objective of this little exercise is to see who can get a bell from me," here Kakashi pulled two small silver bells from his pocket and tied them to his belt after holding them up for the three.

"Who ever can get one of these bells will pass the test and continue on to become a Genin. Now, if you don't get a bell then you will be sent back to the Academy or if I feel your progress isn't sufficient or you're not cut out for being a Shinobi, removed from the Shinobi ranks of Konohagakure no Sato," added Kakashi once he was done stringing the bells onto his belt.

"Of course there is a chance that none of you will get a bell and thus must all be sent back or never allowed to be a Shinobi. That seems to be rather easy to understand, right?" asked Kakashi once again as he looked at his students.

Sasuke had narrowed his eyes as Kakashi finished his little speech about the bells. There was no way he would fail this test. He would pass and show Kakashi, and all of the others just how great the Uchiha clan was. He was an Uchiha and Uchiha never failed at anything. He would pass the stupid test regardless of what Kakashi said. (His ego knows no bounds)

Naruto just looked on unsurprised as he flexed his hands underneath his cloak and started to think through what he would have to do for this test. Sakura was surprised at his words and couldn't help but wonder if she was actually ready for this kind of test. She didn't doubt that Sasuke and Naruto were ready, but would she be able to keep up with them? The pink-haired girl looked at the people around her and new that each of them, at least Sasuke and Naruto, would be giving it their all. It wasn't until she looked at Kakashi and noticed the light bouncing off the bells that something occurred to her.

"Kakashi-Sensei why are their only two bells," questioned the girl as it came to her. She was confused when she noticed the man smile through his mask and raised his hand up into the air as if he was going to say something important.

"That, Sakura, is the catch. You see regardless of what happens only two of you will be eligible to become Genin. That means at least ONE of you is assured to be sent back to the Academy for another year," answered Kakashi with an eye smile.

Once again Sasuke narrowed his eyes and Sakura gasped slightly. It was unexpected and added more pressure on them. Not only that but now they would have to compete for the bells and hope to beat out the other two members of the team for one.

"Of course it won't be that simple. When you come at me, you must come at me with the intent to kill. If you don't then you will never be able to get one of the bells. Now I think that is all I need to explain so," trailed off Kakashi as he walked to the training post in the center of the field and reached into his pouch once again.

"It is now ten o'clock. You will have until noon to get a bell from me. There is also the fact that only those who get a bell will be able to eat the lunches that I've brought along," stated Kakashi again. This time though he frowned slightly as he only heard two stomachs grumble at the mention of food. His frown only deepened though when he noticed the smile on the face of Naruto.

"I guess it's a good thing that I ate this morning," stated Naruto as he smiled and scratched the back of his head. Sasuke was scowling at Kakashi's words as he tried to quiet down the sounds being made by his stomach. He skipped breakfast that morning and he was starting to regret those actions as his anger at Kakashi was increasing as the seconds ticked by. Sakura was complaining to herself in her mind about starting on a diet last night and thus not eating dinner or breakfast.

"If there are no other questions, are you ready?"

Sasuke's muscles tensed as he anticipated the words of his Sensei.

Sakura tensed as well as she prepared to hide.

Naruto stood there uncaring at what his sensei was saying.

"Begin," drawled Kakashi as two of the Genin jumped away and into the trees as they moved away from the Jounin in hopes of concealing themselves. Kakashi watched on as they vanished in a small blur and moved to the trees with mild interest. He could sense both of them when they first jumped away but he soon returned his attention to Naruto who stood in front of him staring at him.

Sakura he could still barely sense to his left. He figured it was because she had very small reserves. He could feel Sasuke to his right in the trees watching from a distance

'_Well it seems that two of them know how to hide. They still need to learn to suppress their chakra for stealth, but they _are_ still technically Genin,'_ mused Kakashi as he eyed where Sasuke was hiding with the edge of his vision.

"Why didn't you hide like the others?" he asked after a few seconds of Naruto staring at him

"No point," he stated " Its not like I have to take the bells from you to pass and my teammates aren't the types to help me. Besides to pass I already know that I need teamwork to do it. Unfortunately for me, my teammates don't understand the concept of team work." He said in a bored tone as Kakashi's eye widened.

"How did you figure out the point of the test so quickly?" he asked

"Last night I asked one of my friends for advice about what you had said yesterday and he confirmed what I had thought to be true. Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'll wait till you've finished with them," Naruto said as he walked off to stand in the shade of a nearby tree.

"Oookay?" Kakashi said surprised that one of his students had already passed at least in some sense

"Well then, I think its time to see what the other two can do," he said as he pulled out his orange book and walked off into the forest and out of sight.

Naruto decided to sit down under the tree and watch his sensei. Using his chakra he grabbed some water from the nearby river and molded it into two orbs one larger than the other then larger orb floated off in the direction that Kakashi went while the smaller flattened out into an oval shape and hardened into a sheet of ice which then started displaying what the 'eye' was seeing…

Kakashi was walking through the forest when he felt something following him. Turning around he found a ball of water the size of a baseball floating in the air. Curious about it, he walked up to and leaned close to it, looking at it he could see that it was being controlled solely by chakra. _'but who has this amount of control?'_ he thought_ 'Naruto?' _he paused while poking it _'nah'_ that was when it _bit_ him….

* * *

"Hahaha!!!" Naruto laughed as his orb bit his sensei, sure it was childish to make the orb bite his sensei but it was still funny to watch an elite Jounin jump around howling in pain from being bitten by a small ball of water.

"Stupid orb!" Kakashi moaned while cradling his swelling finger. The orb, being nothing but water, thankfully had no teeth… but it could still put a surprising amount of pressure into its 'bite'.

* * *

Giving up on trying to find out about the orb, he body flickered away from the orb to a spot near Sakura only to see her freaking out because she couldn't find Sasuke.

'_Is she really that dependant on him?' _He thought and started the hand signs for a genjutsu to see if she really was…

* * *

Sakura was standing in a small clearing trying to find Sasuke's trail _' where is he! I know he was just here,' _she thought

"Sakura…" she knew that voice it was Sasuke's and it was in pain… turning to the direction that it came from she froze…

"…Help…me…" Sasuke said. From where she was standing Sasuke was collapsed on the ground, bleeding from numerous wounds that had kunai lodged in them. To her, he was dieing and that thought, she couldn't take…

**

* * *

**Naruto sat underneath the tree, stunned… he couldn't believe he was on a team that had someone that couldn't see through a genjutsu that was weak enough that even someone with out chakra could break out of. Not for the first time, Naruto thought about asking the old man to put him on a different team…

* * *

Kakashi sweat dropped as Sakura screamed and fainted _'Wow…I thought for sure she would have been able so see through that…oh well one left,'_ he thought as he body flickered to Sasuke's position.

Sasuke was still brooding about the test when he felt someone behind him. He turned around and froze before sweatdropping …there stood Kakashi…with what looked to be a mini Kakashi made out of water floating just behind his right shoulder mimicking his exact movements…

"Uhm sensei…why is _that _there?" Sasuke asked pointing at the mini water clone that was mimicking everything Kakashi did.

"Hmm?" Kakashi said as he glanced over his shoulder to see his 'mini me' copying his movements

"When did that get there?" he turned to face it and Sasuke attacked, throwing several kunai which struck his sensei whom disappeared in a puff of smoke that revealed a log with kunai implanted in it.

"Kawarimi!!" said Sasuke as he tensed and sunk into a taijutsu stance and watched for any movement around him… it was then that the mini Kakashi floating in the air where the original had been previously caught his attention…it was pointing down…Sasuke's face paled as he quickly looked down only to hear.

"Too late!! Earth Release: Head Hunter Technique!!" his sensei yelled pulling him down until nothing but his head was left above ground.

"Well that didn't take too long… better luck next time Sasuke," he said with an eye smile then with a wave he disappeared in a puff of smoke…

As soon as Kakashi was gone Sakura stumbled into the clearing and looked around… upon seeing 'Sasuke-kun's head' she screamed and fainted again.

'_Why is it the one that finds me has to be the one that faints?' _Sasuke thought

* * *

Kakashi appeared next to Naruto as he canceled his viewing technique, as the sheet of ice melted into water and soaked the ground Naruto stood up and face his sensei, who was surprised at the control Naruto had over water.

"Where did you learn that?" he asked while putting away his book.

"I made it," he said _'it's not a total lie, with Kyuubi's help I did make it' _he thought

"I see…"his sensei said _'he's definitely hiding his true potential but how much is really hiding' _he thought. It was then that Kakashi decided to test Naruto, like he had the others.

"How about a sparing match? Just you and me," Kakashi asked eyeing his student warily.

"Sure sensei, but only if you go all out…" Naruto stated not in least bit worried about his two teammates that where hiding just beyond the edge of the clearing

"I don't think you would be able to handle me in a fight if I went all out" he said in a tone that you could hear the smirk on his face. And that was when Naruto's body blurred in movement and appeared less than a split second later, his fist connecting with his sensei's block that was raised just in time. The force of the blow created a gust of wind that raised a dust cloud that engulfed the two hiding them from the sight of Sakura and Sasuke.

'_arrgggg!!'_ screamed Sasuke mentally _' how is the dobe so much stronger then me!! I must know!' _

'_When did Naruto get so fast?' _Sakura thought as the cloud dissipated and revealed their sensei and Naruto locked in combat and trading blows faster than either of them could see. When Kakashi's face caught Sasuke's attention.

Something was different but he couldn't tell what and they were moving too fast for him to get a good look at him. They continued fighting, Naruto on the offensive, while Kakashi was barely keeping up his defense.

' His punches are killing me to block, but I can't seem to dodge them even with the Sharingan' he thought just before he had to use another Kawarimi to save himself from a particularly devastating blow from Naruto. Kakashi appeared behind Naruto about twenty yards away rapidly doing hand signs, which Sasuke recognized.

"A fire jutsu!!" he said a Kakashi took a deep breath and Naruto turned around to face him.

Breathing out Kakashi sent a massive fireball at Naruto hoping to incapacitate him; unfortunately for him he wasn't that lucky. As the giant fireball neared him Naruto lifted his left hand and spread his fingers as the inferno struck his hand and exploded around him, the flames spiraling around him burning everything on either side of him stopping at the river ten feet behind him.

Naruto smirked as he stared at his sensei past his steaming hand. 'Well at least what Kyuubi taught me about the elements was true' he thought as he lowered his hand.

"I think we should stop here sensei the bell is about to ring" he stated with the smirk still evident on his face as the buzzer on the alarm clock rang signaling the test was over.

His two teammates walked out of the clearing and stared at their 'nobody' third member with looks of shock and awe very visible on their faces. Kakashi was having trouble catching his breath and hiding his shock from what Naruto had just done 'he has kage level control over his chakra… using it to boost his speed, reaction time, strength, and even as protection from jutsu… the way he wields his chakra is almost magical…' he thought

"Times up," he said slowly regaining his breath "Now to decide if you pass or fail…"

* * *

**A/n: and there's chapter 3 hoped you liked it and for those that noticed that his team doesn't have Hinata or Shikamaru in it, bear with me it will all make sense eventually **

**And NO Naruto is not all-powerful. He is not really super strong or super fast, he just knows how to control his chakra in ways that would drain anyone else MUCH faster then it drains him. I repeat he is NOT GOD-LIKE…besides if I made him that powerful I wouldn't have a story to write now would I?**

**I have some questions for the few reviewers that I get **

**Did you like the way I portrayed Kyuubi and his 'cage'? **

**Do you like Naruto's new look? **

**Was Naruto kick ass or over the top?**

**Is the chapter too long or too short? **

**What did you think of my version of the bell test?**

**Was the fight scene with Naruto and Kakashi good or too short?**

**Did at any point of this chapter laugh, giggle, or even smile?**

**And lastly**

**Is my cliffy EVIL (insert maniacal laughter) or is it just a 'cant wait to read the next chapter'?**

**(Note your answer will not affect my story, I just want to know if im doing good or if I need to make it more interesting) **

**Other then that, hoped you liked it and PLEASE REVIEW i want to know what you think. Tell me anything you want that includes the pyros out there that like to burn people, I want to know your opinion too… but only if it has to do with making my story better.**


End file.
